A PENSIONER who had a heart attack in a church was brought back from the dead after two ambulancemen battled for five minutes to revive him.

Jack Grimshaw, 74, of Dill Hall Lane, Church, collapsed in Antley Methodist Church, Blackburn Road, Accrington, where he does odd jobs.

When the ambulance crew arrived he went into cardiac arrest. His heart stopped and he had no pulse and was clinically dead.

Paramedic Tony Levelle and an ambulance technician, both from Altham Ambulance Station, shocked him twice, using a life saving defibrilator, as he lay on the floor in the church toilets.

The second attempt with the defibrilator restarted his heart and he was given intravenous drugs to prevent his heart from stopping again.

The ambulancemen ventilated and stabilised him in the church and he was revived sufficiently for him to be taken by ambulance to Blackburn Royal Infirmary. He was treated in the coronary care unit there before being transferred to Queen's Park hospital, Blackburn.

The two ambulancemen went to see him in hospital at the week-end and found him sitting up and enjoying his lunch. Mr Levelle said: "He was conscious when we got to the church but immediately went into cardiac arrest.

"He had no heartbeat or pulse for up to five minutes and we were delighted to bring him round."

Mr Grimshaw's wife Violet said:"Jack was doing some plastering work at the church when he collapsed.

"The two ambulancemen were great and it's a miracle that they got his heart going again."

Mr and Mrs Grimshaw, who worship at Antley Methodist Church, have a son and daughter.

Today a hospital spokesman described Mr Grimshaw's condition as "stable."

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